Veteran forward Ahn Jung-hwan has been showing shades of his former self as of late with the Dalian Shide of the Chinese Super League, and several European teams are starting to notice.

Ahn scored the equalizer to help his club in a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Qindao Jonoon on Sunday.

â€œIâ€™ve been playing in seven consecutive games but feel fine. Iâ€™m in good shape,â€ Ahn said in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo. â€œDue to my good conditioning, Iâ€™ve been able to score often. Since Park Sung-hwa took over as manager of the club, the team atmosphere has improved as well.â€

With Sundayâ€™s performance, Ahn has improved his season total to six goals and two assists. The total is top among Dalian Shideâ€™s players and ranks Ahn fifth overall in the league.

With Ahn leading the way, Dalian Shide have put together a solid unbeaten streak of four wins and three ties in their past seven matches to jump from 14th to fifth overall in the Chinese Super League standings.

They are also now vying for a spot in next yearâ€™s AFC Champions League tourney. The top four clubs qualify to enter the tournament.

â€œSince Park took over the team, itâ€™s been easier to communicate with the coaching staff,â€ Ahn said. â€œThereâ€™s a bit of pressure on me to perform, but weâ€™ve been doing well and have not lost a match since he became the manager.â€

With Ahn performing as of late, three teams in the Segunda Division - Spainâ€™s second-tier league - are reportedly showing strong interest in the veteran forward.

â€œAhn is looking to close off his career in a world-class league regardless of financial terms,â€ a person close to the player said.

At this point in his career, Ahn is focused on enjoying football for a competitive team in Europe. He reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from a Saudi Arabian club during the 2010 World Cup.

Ahnâ€™s intention is to either remain with his current club or play in Europe. His current contract with Dalian Shide expires at the end of the season.

â€œIâ€™m starting to think about retirement at this point in my career,â€ said Ahn. â€œIâ€™m mulling over different options. Ideally, I would like to end my career in a better league. I would like to enjoy football in Europe.â€

Korean footballer Ahn Jung-hwan said he is not sure whether he will play in the K-League next year following his departure from Chinese club Dalian Shide FC.

Ahn played his farewell match for Dalian on Saturday, ending his three-year spell in the Chinese Super League.

The 35-year-old joined Dalian in 2009 and netted a total of 18 goals in 64 matches.

While former FC Seoul coach Nelo Vingada took the helm in Dalian in July, replacing Ahnâ€™s compatriot Park Sung-hwa, the striker saw less time on the pitch compared to previous years. With a lingering knee injury added to the mix, it was reported that Ahn decided not to extend his contract with the club.

On Saturday, Ahn wore the captainâ€™s armband for Dalian and played his final match against Jiangsu Sainty FC for 45 minutes. During halftime, his club held a farewell ceremony for Ahn while home fans chanted to show their support. It was the first time in the clubâ€™s history that a foreign player received a farewell ceremony.

Ahn said it was unfortunate that he couldnâ€™t understand what Chinese fans were chanting because of the language barrier.

â€œIf the farewell match were held in Korea, my heart would be moved since I would be able to understand the language,â€ Ahn said to Ilgan Sports, the JoongAng Ilboâ€™s daily sports newspaper, after the match on Saturday. â€œHowever, since I canâ€™t understand Chinese, it was difficult for me to experience that feeling.â€

But Ahn said he had a good experience while playing in China. The former Korean international recalled that he didnâ€™t like the long travel times for away games, but said he was impressed with how the Super League is growing, adding that Chinese football is developing as many foreign players enter the league.

â€œTop teams in [the Super League] are almost at the same level as teams in the K-League,â€ Ahn said. â€œTeams like Guangzhou Evergrande FC are really good and I think the club could win the AFC Champions League next year.â€

Ahn, who played with Busan Iâ€™Park and the Suwon Samsung Bluewings before moving to China, said he has already received offers from K-League clubs. The striker has yet to make a decision on his future.

â€œI think it would be good for me to come back to the K-League and help the league in a marketing perspective,â€ Ahn said. â€œBut what Iâ€™m worried about is that if my performance is poor, I may not have a happy ending to my career.â€

Ahn had his golden days from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. The attacker was the first Korean to play in the Italyâ€™s Serie A when he signed with AC Perugia in 2000 after he was voted K-League MVP in 1999. He also played for French side FC Metz and German club MSV Duisburg.

Probably Ahnâ€™s most memorable performance came in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where he helped Korea reach the semifinal with a golden goal that knocked out Italy in the round of 16. His header sent past Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon was the highlight of his performance throughout the World Cup.

But Ahn said those days are now becoming somewhat of a burden, as Koreans remember his heroic days and compare them with his current level of play.

â€œI know I canâ€™t play like I did in 2002,â€ Ahn said. â€œBut people will judge me and compare my current performance to past days.â€

Ahn, who also played for Japanese clubs Yokohama Marinos and Shimizu S-Pulse, said his current form isnâ€™t bad.

But since injuries keep bothering him, Ahn said he is starting to think about retirement - an option that is still on the table.

â€œI thought I may quit when I turned 30, but I played longer than I thought,â€ Ahn said. â€œI had really good form last year, but since I injured both knees, I really felt my form is declining.â€

Having retired from the playing side of the game prior to the start of this season Ahn has now been appointed a 'K-League ambassador', so I guess we'll continue to see his mug at awards ceremonies and the like for a good while to come.

In Yangju, if your cabbage doesn't understand you and you have valid reason for not eating it, then it is ok to go to other vegetables for your kimchi - though strictly nothing from south of Namyangju. -- Martyrs Forever